'Dove of the Desert'

The miles rumble underneath spinning tires with a low hum that dulls the mind. Hotels and high-rises give way to subdivisions, which slowly fade to a scattering of homes.

Soon the desert swallows everything. The only things to break the dusty tedium are distant mountains, ragged scars on the horizon.

A smudge of gleaming white catches the attention of weary eyes.

Its details arrive slowly. A tower. A dome. Both seem to glow under the desert sun.

This is how travelers are drawn to San Xavier del Bac, one of the best preserved missions of the Southwest.

It stands alone south of Tucson, framed by an empty desert interrupted only by the mission and a lonely road that vanishes over a slight rise.

The tower and dome are unmistakable to those passing by on Interstate 19, a mile to the east. It is called the White Dove of the Desert and is considered the finest example of Spanish colonial architecture in the United States.

Nearly every visitor pauses outside the arched gate with cameras poised to capture the mission's luminescence.

They probably don't know the freshly painted look of the two-century-old mission is thanks to a six-year, $1.5 million restoration that continues today.

Ornate patterns are carved into the bricks framing the entrance. It's just a hint of the detailed architecture that awaits within.

The floor plan is modeled after the Latin cross. The altar is at the top of the cross and two chapels form the crossbeam.

The front door squeaks to a close and eyes need a few seconds to adjust to the dim interior. Sculptures of angels dance among the soaring arches that form the ceiling of the mission.

Each column is a study in gold- and silver-leaf detail. Intricate murals cover the walls and domed ceiling.

Each apostle is represented with a nearly life-size carving. The Virgin Mary statue is dressed in an elegant gold-flecked gown. The statue of the patron saint, Francis Xavier, oversees all from behind the altar.

In one side chapel is a carving of St. Francis lying in state.

Many come here to ask blessings for an ill or injured loved one. Several photos, tokens of thanksgiving, are attached to the red velvet robe that covers the carving.

There also are two sonograms taken during pregnancies. And a photo of a car. On a beach. Perhaps the owner asked for a spiritual tune-up.

No one knows the architect of Mission San Xavier del Bac or why one tower never was completed. But it has endured because it was constructed of brick and volcanic rock between 1783 and 1792.

Its sister mission in Tumacacori was built of adobe and has crumbled under the weight of the years.

Franciscans oversaw construction of San Xavier del Bac during a time when mandatory religious conversion was considered politically correct.

The mission is still used for services. Some visitors will experience the mission with a quick walk-through, a few snapshots and memories of a snippet of the recorded lecture that echoes off the 3-foot-thick brick walls.

But to do that is to miss the details that artisans and workers spent so much time to uncover. They removed wasps' nests, bird droppings and bat urine to reveal decorations they didn't know existed. The more time you spend, the more you will find.